Doping Digest: Kohl's Ex-manager Confesses

by Jen See on Mar 31, 2009 2:40 PM EDT in News

Austrian Stefan Matschiner has admitted to supplying athletes, including Bernhard Kohl, with doping products. The confession came after Austrian authorities arrested Matschiner upon his return from a trip to the United States. The triathlete Lisa Hütthaler named Matschiner as her supplier after she tested positive for EPO. She reportedly paid him 15,000.00 euros for doping products. Matschiner admitted that he also supplied Berhard Kohl, who tested positive for CERA at the 2008 Tour de France. Matschiner may not risk much with his confession. Austria enacted an anti-doping law in August, but it does not apply to crimes committed before that date.

Following the news of Matschiner's arrest, Kohl held a press conference on Tuesday night in which he denounced his former manager. The Austrian, who finished third in the Tour de France before testing positive, told the press that Matschiner had provided him with doping products since 2005. Kohl reportedly received EPO, growth hormone, testosterone, and insulin from Matschiner. He paid 50,000 euros total for the service.

According to Kohl, Matschiner also set-up a blood doping program for him. The program used a Vienna blood bank, and Kohl confirmed that he used blood doping on three occcasions, the latest in September 2008. Kohl has reportedly cooperated with Austrian authorities in the case against Matschiner.

Sources:
tuttobiciweb.it
Kohl press conference: radsport-news.com
Matschiner arrested: radsport-news.com

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Comments

Wow. So much for Kohl's previous confession

that he only resorted to doping because he crashed in the Dauphine and so wasn’t in great shape for the Tour.

One of the sweetest things today was seeing Tom Boonen go past me backwards on the climbs. .--Mark Cavendish, MSR

by majope on Mar 31, 2009 2:48 PM EDT reply actions

yep once they start cheating, lying is easy.

by Christopher See on Mar 31, 2009 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions

This could lead to the cracking of the HumanPlasma-affair

If so, it’s Puerto-time again. And not just for cycling this time.

by Jens on Mar 31, 2009 3:01 PM EDT reply actions

That one's dead

The Austrian police wrapped it up a few weeks ago. There was no evidence of actual doping, as in pharmacological stuff, only drawing and reinserting their own blood which wasn’t illegal at the time. The Walter Mayer story is the only one that may lead anywhere, as it has done before.

by Monty. on Mar 31, 2009 3:24 PM EDT up reply actions

As in they can't do anything because whatever went on there was legal ?

If Kohl admits to having had transfusions there, surely there must be cause for further investigation of it?

by Jens on Mar 31, 2009 3:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Whatever went on there

was apparently legal. Austria only made blood doping illegal last August, so even if they had worked with Kohl it would have been fine. Unless he had started very early saving up for the 2010 Tour.

by Monty. on Mar 31, 2009 3:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Kohl said he blood doped as late as September 2008. After the law went into effect.

One of the sweetest things today was seeing Tom Boonen go past me backwards on the climbs. .--Mark Cavendish, MSR

by majope on Mar 31, 2009 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions

That must be a typo

Why the heck would he be doing that when he was just busted?

by Jens on Mar 31, 2009 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions

dunno

The original source for the story is the Austrian wire service, based on a press conference he gave Tuesday. They could be wrong, natch.

I can’t remember the time line of the Kohl case well enough – was his sanction handed down already by then? Anyway, you’re right that it’s a bit bizarro. It seems clear that he wants to make Maschiner pay, though, why else would he go public with all this stuff?

by Jen See on Mar 31, 2009 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions

My bad Kohl wasn't busted until October

by Jens on Mar 31, 2009 4:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Cool, that explains it.

Not cool that you were wrong ;-) But cool that we sorted it out!

So, Kohl has immunity, clearly, and is trying to get Maschiner nailed. The Italian report claimed that he was likely in the clear, but that was before the Kohl press conference.

by Jen See on Mar 31, 2009 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions

speechless

by Bruce Suomi on Mar 31, 2009 3:06 PM EDT reply actions

The interview with Lisa Hütthaler which set this all off

is here, complete with lots of piccies. Too many, actually, each on a separate page complete with a fragment of the article. All those lovely advertising page impressions, I guess.

The interview I want to find right now is the one Rudy Pevenage gave to Gara. Cyclismag had a couple of quotes over the weekend, one that he reckons that there are another five Fuentes still at work, and one that Michael Ball has sold off three cars from his collection to help keep Rock Racing on the road. There may be more substance but I’m not even sure what country Gara comes from.

by Monty. on Mar 31, 2009 3:21 PM EDT reply actions

Basque

The article seems to be in Spanish tho.

No longer that I call them tights, I call them freedom ware.

by TheFigurehead on Mar 31, 2009 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Thanks for that

Even through Google translate it’s an interesting little piece, although “his name Michael Ball which translates as Michael Ball” has clearly lost a little somewhere along the line. It’s odd but I am starting to feel a bit kinder towards Ball now, at the very least for trying to keep the team going and not just cutting it off as something beyong the core business.

by Monty. on Mar 31, 2009 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions

yeck

prosecute

formerly known as cyclingchallenge

by Willj on Mar 31, 2009 3:51 PM EDT reply actions

Rasmussen

According to CN the guy was Michael Rasmussen’s manager too.

by Lopex on Mar 31, 2009 3:52 PM EDT reply actions

indeed!

by Jen See on Mar 31, 2009 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions

And who else?

No one seems to be interested in publishing any other names under his managment. Perhaps it’s for the best.

by Jens on Mar 31, 2009 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions

ja

No doubt there were more – and in other sports, of course.

by Jen See on Mar 31, 2009 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions

I can't check right now, but the agency name was International Sports Agency.

One of the sweetest things today was seeing Tom Boonen go past me backwards on the climbs. .--Mark Cavendish, MSR

by majope on Mar 31, 2009 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions

I saw them somewhere

no other cyclists

by Monty. on Mar 31, 2009 4:22 PM EDT up reply actions

A couple of other titbits

there’s a supposed list of who he represents over at Bike Radar, they mostly seem to be Kenyan marathon runners and there’s no proof that they are up to anything fishy. I suspect that even EPO is beyond the budget for most of them anyway. The Kenyan athletics federation has tried to stop the expoitation of its athletes recently, and he may have just been trying to get an early foothold in the market. See here for an idea of how tough Kenyan runners sometimes have it. But remember that runners are underpaid or even unpaid all over the world.

The company website has gone off-line. Google has cached a couple of bits but nothing with any names.

There’s quite a nice diagram over here

by Monty. on Mar 31, 2009 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Another diagram:

Flow Chart via CFA, but could it be Chris’ work?

by M. Anatole on Apr 1, 2009 12:52 AM EDT up reply actions

Here, that is.

by M. Anatole on Apr 1, 2009 12:53 AM EDT up reply actions

No other cyclists?

I’m suprised.

While it’s not going to be pretty, I’d rather Kohl sings now and sings loudly. That sounds like something from 1998! :-( Naming names is one thing David Millar could and should have done in his bid for knighthood of the anti-doping league.

Perhaps some other sports will start to change for the better.

Formerly known on PdC as ruralwales.

by Simon_E on Mar 31, 2009 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions

"Berhard Kohl, who tested positive for CERA at the 2009 Tour de France"

that son of a bitch has done it again! How did he get into this years Tour and how did Gav know that he was going to test positive in a race that doesn’t start for 3 months? Lol

"It’s disappointing. Second place is the first loser."
~Heinrich Haussler (GERMANY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Cervélo TestTeam

by Phil H. on Mar 31, 2009 5:56 PM EDT reply actions

crapo

LOL, thanks for the catch. This year, next year, all the same.

Gav <—- all-knowing. or not.

by Jen See on Mar 31, 2009 7:06 PM EDT up reply actions

You come home from work, do stuff, log on and see what happenened today...

in the world of the your favourite sport. That means CN then PdC normally. Then your day turns to shit! Thanks to this site, and may i say – this site alone! – I now believe wholeheartedly that Kohl is a dirty cheating scumbag of unimaginable proportions! He started in 2005 and used allsorts.

You need to learn a new trade my (previously described as) friend. You bastard! I cheered you climbing those mountains. It seems no surprise you were in T mobile for 2005-6. Youv’e said this much, go on tell it all!

Last comment – If you were doping in 2007 you should have took more! Checked CQ, you did squat. I assumed you noticed too because when you did – Oops, you got busted. Only makes me think someone at t mobile was better at it than you.

This story also finally nails my (e) hero Rasmussen too, if only by association. Loads more races I wished I hadn’t cheered along to as now ruined.

Months of crap, ill informed headlines to look forward to in the press. The list goes on, and on and on. Bad.

Then remembered it was The Ronde on sunday, all this happened last year, and if I change thread I can win a snuggie. Off to do research.

by gbt on Mar 31, 2009 6:09 PM EDT reply actions

a snuggie will make everything all okay ;-)

by Jen See on Mar 31, 2009 7:07 PM EDT up reply actions

After checking out the WTF u tube clip

Ihe snuggie is becoming an obsession. I am dreaming up breakaways galore, cause wont win it if pippo, tb, or other likely lad wins it! Currently have eisel in the chair. Go figure! I am dreaming of going to a parents evening whilst wearing said prize. I may have to create 50 different log on names in order to win it – or is that not sporting! It sounds like a bit like cera use for a snuggie. How low will i stoop?

by gbt on Mar 31, 2009 7:33 PM EDT up reply actions